Coalesced Diffusion
by Thundera Tiger
Summary: Nine Fellowship members, twenty-five word prompts apiece. An exercise in concentrated minimalism that spans the journey of each Fellowship member as they play their own part in the quest to destroy the Ring. Final chapter - Gimli
1. Gandalf

_Author's Note: Greetings all! Excuses for my prolonged absence? None. Real life, to be brutally honest, has been brutally busy and isn't going to let up anytime soon. However, I have managed to work on a few things in what spare time I can find, and this is one of them._

_I've seen a few other stories in other fandoms that use the idea of word prompts, and it was easy enough for me to work on sporadically that I jumped aboard. I took an online random word generator and created 25 words for every member of the Fellowship. I then made single-sentence explanations (with semi-colons and dashes allowing for the not-so-occasional cheat) as to how each of those 25 words might illustrate a part of that individual's journey. The goal was to span the entire time they appeared in the books._

_With that, I leave you to enjoy the first of the nine:_

**Gandalf**

**1. Sensationalist**

Rains of gold flame, streams of sparkling blue, and flurries of swirling green dance across the sky as Gandalf leans against his staff, thoroughly satisfied; Bilbo catches his eye with a knowing grin, and when the fireworks coalesce into a shimmering dragon that sends every other hobbit diving for cover, he only murmurs, "Smaug was bigger."

**2. Unrest**

The word "precious" hounds Gandalf for years after Bilbo leaves the Shire, and though Saruman counsels patience in all matters concerning Rings of Power, Gandalf will have no peace until he learns how and why one particular ring so affected both Bilbo and Gollum.

**3. Veneration**

Knowing firsthand the possessive nature roused in those bearing Rings, Gandalf is humbled, shocked, and horrified when Frodo asks if he will take the One; it requires all his will—and most of Narya's strength—to refuse, and he cannot help but think that were he in Frodo's place, he would never make such an offer.

**4. Agoraphobia**

Other than sporadic appearances at White Council gatherings, Radagast the Brown has avoided populated areas for several centuries, so when Gandalf finds the other wizard searching for him just outside Bree, he is so startled that he almost wonders if Sauron has managed to overcome Gondor, Rohan, Erebor, Mirkwood, Lothlórien, and all other lands east of the Misty Mountains.

**5. Traits**

Signs of Saruman's betrayal can be seen in the extra guards atop Isengard's walls, the cold greeting, and the haughty demeanor, but all these Saruman possessed before his treachery—none of this is new but rather an extension of things already present; thus when Saruman speaks of joining Mordor, Gandalf listens in dawning horror as a trait they both share—a desire for control—twists itself beyond the pale into a thirst for dominion.

**6. Lonely**

Saruman, Radagast, Alatar, Pallando, Gandalf—they were five when they began their stewardship upon Middle Earth, and given the perils they faced and the powers they bore, theirs was a brotherhood they did not think would ever be broken; now Gandalf stands atop Orthanc, Saruman's prisoner thanks to Radagast's summons, and wonders what happened to Alatar and Pallando while trying _not_ to wonder about his own fate.

**7. Bald**

The image of Frodo's cloak on the porch at Crickhollow is enough for Gandalf to nearly roast Barliman's bald head on the spot when he and Shadowfax thunder into Bree, and only with great effort does he restrain himself long enough to receive the joyful news that Frodo met Aragorn the night before and departed with him that very morning.

**8. Physician**

All that remains of the Morgul knife from Weathertop is the hilt, but fell words murmured over the haft are able to summon a shadow of the former blade, complete and whole save for the notched tip; Elrond immediately hastens back to Frodo, but Glorfindel stays, a silent comfort as Gandalf sinks into a chair, shuddering at the knife's darkness and remembering all too well the presence of that same darkness throughout Orthanc.

**9. Griping**

Gandalf is intensely relieved when the Fellowship departs Imladris because it means no longer listening to subtle yet biting comments from Glorfindel and Erestor, neither of whom fully agree with sending out such a small—and in some cases, inexperienced—company and both of whom possess considerable talent in making their disagreements known.

**10. Discontent**

Aragorn forcefully insists that any path over the mountains is preferable to the one under them, but Gandalf fails to appreciate the strength of his conviction until the Ranger openly opposes Moria before the entire Fellowship, not disputing Gandalf's leadership outright but certainly swaying votes against the mines until a pack of wargs concludes the debate for them.

**11. Outlasts**

The times are far too dark for instructions such as "Say 'friend' and enter," and glancing at Legolas and Gimli, Gandalf spares a moment to wonder what hope exists of seeing _mellon_ inscribed on hearts the way it is still inscribed on ancient stone.

**12. Cutthroat**

When Legolas confirms their silent shadow is indeed Gollum, Gandalf's heart sinks, for his many interviews with the creature warn him that if they do not act soon, they risk Gollum setting every orc in Moria against them in an effort to salvage the Ring.

**13. Tense**

Confounded by a crossroads he does not recognize, tailed by a footpad who would gut them all if given the chance, and pressured by both a Ranger and his own sense of foresight, Gandalf's composure is utterly shattered when Pippin drops a stone down a well and manages to do what Gandalf feared Gollum would do—alert the enemy to their presence.

**14. Inferno**

They fall together, the enemy a constant blaze, and plunge into an icy lake far beneath Moria's mines—cold, cold, cold save for the flame of battle—but from beneath the earth, they ascend again, grappling and clawing and hewing; atop Celebdil, the Balrog receives new flame and new strength while Gandalf finds himself weakening, and still they fight a battle whose roots began when Arda was young, burning brighter and brighter until finally the flames are spent, the Balrog falls silent, and Gandalf the Gray looks his last upon the mists of the world.

**15. Ache**

He is Gandalf the White, reborn and returned, but as Gimli and Legolas press for details of his battle, a deep ache wraps itself about his heart, intensifying when Gimli asks after the Balrog by name and fading long after his story draws to a close.

**16. Undulations**

When King Théoden sets forth to ride against Saruman, Gandalf reaches far and wide, willing his foresight to find meaning in all the pieces he has gathered—the heaviness of the air—a shadow in the Wizard's Vale—Théodred's fall—Saruman's alliance with Dunland—Erkenbrand's retreat—the waking Ents—too many changes, too much still veiled from sight, and Gandalf knows he must somehow cull order from the chaos.

**17. Requital**

Gandalf's staff split asunder when he broke the bridge beneath the Balrog, and he remembers well the devastating sense of loss that assaulted him at that time; he cannot find it in himself to pity Saruman, though, when he exercises the will of the Valar and shatters the other wizard's staff, for no recompense can fully atone for the terrible cost of Saruman's betrayal.

**18. Predisposed**

He has seen Pippin's curiosity at work before and that alone should be warning enough, but there is simply too much happening for Gandalf to discern the significance of Pippin's sidelong looks or the fact that the young Took had his hands on the _palantír_ first, longest, and deepest.

**19. Glitters**

Gandalf bows as he returns the Seeing Stone to its rightful owner, for he knows well that Aragorn is perhaps the only one who can wander the _palantír's_ corrupted paths without losing his way.

**20. Broadens**

Filled with dread and thinking of the sunless dawn, Gandalf demands to know when Frodo and Sam parted company with Faramir in Ithilien; Faramir's answer alleviates some of his fear, but Gandalf cannot help feeling the danger has grown even greater, especially when he catches a glimmer of desire in Denethor's cunning eyes.

**21. Maintain**

Gandalf thinks Faramir's fall might rally something in Denethor, but true to form, Denethor refuses to be fathomable, skipping over fear and faith in favor of grief and despair; with the Steward now mourning two sons—one gone but the other still breathing—Gandalf reluctantly orders the defenses of Minas Tirith, knowing he cannot grant victory but hoping he can hold the line until the King arrives.

**22. Midwives**

By the time Ioreth stops prattling on about how kingsfoil grows in the Lossarnach woods above her sisters' home, Gandalf reverses his opinion on the "wise woman of Gondor" and decides he much prefers old wives to midwives.

**23. Fleeced**

Gandalf looks into the faces of those who gather to debate their next and last stratagem—Aragorn, Éomer, Imrahil, Elladan, Elrohir—and asks them for everything they have to give, reserving no strength unto themselves, for there will be no escape if Frodo fails and possibly no escape even if Frodo succeeds.

**24. Pitiable**

So light are the hobbits they carry that Landroval and Meneldor keep looking to their talons as though fearful they have dropped them, and astride Gwaihir as the eagles soar upward on Orodruin's thermals, Gandalf holds fast to the fading hope that Aragorn will be able to call Frodo and Sam back from the threshold of death.

**25. Bench**

There is a large, smooth stone half a league from Tom Bombadil's house, and after seeing the hobbits safely as far as Bree, Gandalf spends most of the day seated upon that stone, doing and thinking absolutely nothing for the first time in millennia.


	2. Meriadoc Brandybuck

**Meriadoc Brandybuck**

**1. Specialization**

The Sackville-Bagginses are enough to make anyone want to disappear, but when Bilbo literally does just that one sunny afternoon—not knowing a young Brandybuck is around to see—he initiates a chain of events that forces Merry to become very adept at sneaking, lurking, and spying.

**2. Selfishness**

The evening before they set out from Crickhollow, Merry finally admits to himself that part of his reason for accompanying Frodo is not for friendship's sake but for his own; he has long been a part of Buckland's defenses, whether against the Old Forest or against Men who venture too near the boundaries, but a good defender is rarely a good adventurer and it is the latter Merry desires to be.

**3. Expert**

Given the others' anxiety, Merry dares not show his own concern when he can't find the Bonfire Glade or when the only path forward seems to lead south; but when he ventures forward alone for a moment along the River Withywindle, he allows his fear to surface, and he stands trembling and pale beneath the burden of knowing the Old Forest well but not knowing it well enough.

**4. Violating**

He is Merry, son of the Master of Buckland, but beneath the Wight's shadow, he has become a defender of Arthedain, betrayed by one of his own to the men of Carn Dûm; the Brandybuck within rails against this violation of mind and self, but the spear that bursts through breast and ribs shatters the division and sends any sense of _Merry_ tumbling into black.

**5. Glare**

They can all feel Frodo growing nervous as Bree's gatekeeper presses them with questions, and the defender in Merry prompts him to take the lead, stepping forward to reveal his own name and claim the other three as hobbits of Buckland—nearly true given how much time Pippin spends in Brandy Hall—for whom Merry will tolerate no more interrogation.

**6. Whimpers**

In Bree's dark streets moves an even darker shadow, and Merry follows it silently until something…cold sweeps over him; he falls to the ground, but the ground does not stop his fall and he continues to sink, drowning in deep pools of night that smother the mind, the will, the body, until he finally succumbs with naught more than a whimper of protest.

**7. Follower**

The adventure has spiraled well beyond Merry's control, Frodo's arm is icy to the touch, Frodo himself grows worse every day, the dreary rain saps everyone's spirits, and Merry has no reckoning of the lands they now travel; helpless against almost everything that besets them, he can only follow Strider blindly, hoping the Ranger continues to prove faithful.

**8. Capably**

If the journey has taught Merry anything, it is that a good adventurer must know the lay of the land; thus he spends part of his time in Rivendell exploring with Pippin but an even greater portion of his time studying maps of the eastern lands.

**9. Scalable**

Merry stares at distant Caradhras, remembering the difficult climb and deepening snow, and decides he would rather scale the Redhorn ten times over than even attempt to summit the mountain of grief rising in the wake of Gandalf's death.

**10. Pondering**

When Haldir tosses a rope across the Celebrant and explains it is too perilous for Lothlórien to construct permanent bridges, Merry thinks of Rivendell's many bridges and shudders at what this says of the dangers on the eastern side of the Misty Mountains.

**11. Dance**

Merry has always enjoyed boating and the feel of effortlessly gliding across the water, much like a dance on the river with swirls and turns dependent upon eddies and paddles; of course, like any dance, those new to the steps are bound to experience a few mishaps, which is the excuse Merry gives when he and Boromir accidentally ground their boat atop a sandbar not even an hour after departing Lothlórien.

**12. Trickle**

There is no leak in the elven boat, but Merry still feels he is drowning; a steady trickle of murmurs and mutters fills the space around him, the tension making it difficult to breathe, and he glances uneasily at Boromir, who has somehow become something other than the lordly yet generous man Merry first knew.

**13. Collide**

The whole world is commotion—banging, shouting, crashing, ringing—and Merry's head spins as he blocks a swinging club with the blade of his sword; Boromir is rushing forward, desperately trying to gain the orcs' attention through taunts and yells, but Merry has not the strength to hold off the weight of the orc and he plummets into darkness when the club slams into his brow.

**14. Disincentive**

The edges of his vision blurring, Merry is sorely tempted to collapse and let the orcs do all the walking, but the burning gash on his brow and the thought of enduring more orcish medicine keeps him on his feet much longer than should be possible.

**15. Undecided**

Even as he leads Pippin forward and even as the sounds of battle echo too closely and too loudly behind them, Merry silently wonders if they shouldn't just stop where they are and avoid the looming darkness of Fangorn; they survived the Old Forest only thanks to Tom Bombadil, and once again, Merry finds himself in the position of knowing the land well but not knowing it well enough.

**16. Mold**

"A few days' time is not long for an Entmoot," Quickbeam tells Merry and Pippin on the evening of the second day, adding that he once watched an inch of mold grow on Leaflock's beard during a particularly long conclave; Merry is not encouraged.

**17. Common**

It's only natural to find ease in spoils of war when they present themselves as common comforts, but Merry still berates himself for missing what surely signals trouble for his home; these comforts are common by Shire standards, _not_ Orthanc standards, but it is only after Aragorn points it out that Merry realizes how unnerving it is to find South Farthing pipe-weed in Isengard.

**18. Petal**

Though the Rohirrim keep to the foothills, Merry cannot help but be intrigued by the distant mounds on the open plains, covered in flowers; in hushed tones, Éomer names the blooms simbelmyné, explaining they cover the tombs of the dead, and when Théoden stirs at this, Merry feels a stir of obligation to the old king, hoping someone in Buckland is looking out for his own father.

**19. Behind**

Frodo, Sam, Gandalf, Pippin, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and even Boromir have all left Merry behind in one way or another, but as he presses close to Dernhelm beneath the dawnless day, trying to look like nothing more than baggage, he smiles grimly at the thought that he is no longer far behind any of them.

**20. Snowflake**

The sounds of war seem distant as Merry watches his sword burn away, reminding him of the falling snow that drifted too near their fire atop Caradhras, and feeling the cold in his nerveless arm—all but dead since he struck the Witch-King—he wonders if he will melt away, too.

**21. Renew**

He has sunk beneath the shadow of the Barrow-downs, fallen into the pools of a Nazgûl's hiss, and cried out at the torments of orcs and orc medicine, but the numbing ice that creeps into his heart after he stabs the Witch-king is darker and deeper than anything he has felt before; when Aragorn reaches down into the night to draw him forth, the Ranger must do more than simply call him back—he must rekindle the flames of his heart and renew the light of his spirit.

**22. Courteous**

Merry quickly understands why Pippin speaks so highly of Faramir after the latter sends for him in the Houses of Healing and offers his company for the day; he also understands why Faramir will make such a good Steward for Aragorn as the man courteously but skillfully keeps turning the conversation back to Merry's impressions of Éowyn.

**23. Scratch**

Stark against the gleaming beauty of Ithilien, Frodo and Sam are pale as wights, and Pippin looks as though a mountain fell atop him; though Aragorn assures him their physical hurts will mend, Merry now knows enough to hear what the King doesn't say, for some wounds strike deeper than flesh and some healing scratches only the surface.

**24. Sense**

Over time, even some of the Brandybucks wonder when he will return to more sensible clothes, but to Merry, wearing his Rohirrim livery makes more sense than pretending to become someone he is not.

**25. Prescribe**

In the years following the War, Merry often feels the tug of adventure and answers the call, but he has never felt it as strongly as when Sam bids farewell and sails over the Sea; though it all began in the Shire, that cannot be where it ends, and thus Merry readily agrees when Pippin suggests the only possible remedy—one final journeyto the lands where an adventure's end will be remembered with honor.


	3. Boromir

**Boromir**

**1. Yore**

A part of Boromir cannot believe his own actions as he leaves Minas Tirith on the words of a dream, feeling he is stepping back into days of legend when a single man on a single journey could change the fate of an Age; it is both an impossible and an ominous thought, for many of those legends concluded with the death of the journeyman, one of the chief reasons Boromir does not allow Faramir to make this trip.

**2. Foretell**

When Boromir stops at Meduseld, he is prepared to divulge the entirety of the dream he and Faramir shared, but he changes his mind the moment King Théoden introduces his advisor Gríma—he distinctly overhears Théodred mutter "Wormtongue"—and Boromir perceives that evil has crept into the very heart of the Riddermark.

**3. Mortified**

Puzzled by Théodred's offer to escort him as far as Helm's Deep and equip him with a proper horse, Boromir asks what is wrong with his own mount; with a pitying look and typical Rohirrim candor, Théodred informs Boromir that his stall-spoiled Gondor pony cannot hope to survive even a week in the northern wilds.

**4. Rubble**

The remains of the bridge once spanning Tharbad's Greyflood bear a striking resemblance to the remains of the Osgiliath bridge once spanning the Anduin, the latter having been destroyed to prevent Mordor's advance; Boromir loses his horse fording the Greyflood but still manages to cross, and he shivers in the ruined city as he considers Mordor's growing forces lurking on the east banks of the Anduin.

**5. Cushion**

Though long accustomed to harsh roads, cold nights, and demanding endeavors, one lonely evening does find Boromir wondering when he last sat on something soft.

**6. Found**

It is many months since the dream came first to Faramir and then to Boromir, but now it springs to life around him in the form of elves, dwarves, peredhil, Mithrandir, Isildur's bane, halflings, Morgul-spells, the broken shards of Narsil, and a King in Exile; at long last, he has found what he sought, but perhaps more important than any answer to a dream, Boromir discovers something he lost long before he ever left Gondor—hope.

**7. Sleepless**

Boromir spends several sleepless nights after Elrond's Council learning how to endure the sudden return of hope; it is no easy thing to abandon the comfort of resigned despair, for hope thrusts upon him a renewed anxiety that his people will perish before any victory—even one so remote as destroying the Ring—can be achieved.

**8. Reminisced**

Something about the way Merry, Pippin, and Sam approach the Quest reminds Boromir of the summer he spent in Dol Amroth after Finduilas passed away; he remembers teaching his cousin Elphir how to hold a sword, he remembers racing against Faramir through swelling tides, and he remembers holding desperately to any tradition, song, gesture, or story that connected him with his lost mother, who represented a past and a home that he feared to never see again.

**9. Footfall**

Walking lightly atop Caradhras' drifts, Legolas notes that Boromir and Aragorn would make better progress if they did not sink so deeply in the snow; though he should conserve his energy, Boromir is a veteran of too many sibling snow wars to let such a comment pass, and he grins widely when Aragorn proves himself equally adept at shaping and throwing snowballs.

**10. Scrolls**

Boromir does not view himself as a historical scholar (particularly when compared with his brother) but he knows more of lore than most and he knows the name of Moria; what little Gondor's libraries have to offer on the subject makes Boromir fear the Fellowship will not escape the lost mines without some grievous loss—if they escape at all.

**11. Yelp**

The warg cries out at the bite of Boromir's blade, and strangely detached from the battle, Boromir is tempted to loose his own howl of distress as the fell wolves quickly do what Mithrandir could not—convince the Fellowship to descend into Moria.

**12. Fauna**

After encounters with both _crebain _and wargs, Boromir decides the local wildlife bears them a considerable amount of ill will; thus when he becomes aware of something following them in the mines of Moria, he is under no illusions that it might prove benign.

**13. Untapped**

There are streams and trickles aplenty in the Ethel Duath from which it is unsafe to drink, and eyeing the well in Moria's guardroom, Boromir lobs it into the same category; unfortunately, he fails to realize that a certain young Took, not having grown up in the shadow of Mordor's mountains, is unaware of the need to let well enough alone.

**14. Flogging**

Boromir has studied orcs and their tactics long enough to know this: orc armies do not march against their foes but are rather forced into battle by captains who harry and flog with a torturous frenzy until the rank and file orc would sooner face the spears of his enemies than the whips of his captains; thus when orcs arrive in the Chamber of Mazarbul long after Pippin roused them with a stone, Boromir knows the battle will be fierce.

**15. Preoccupy**

A minute more—nay, even a mere moment would have been enough!—and Boromir could have acted, but no faded tapestry, no blurred woodcut, and no traveler's tale prepared him for the creature that Mithrandir meets alone on the narrow bridge; he is frozen until Aragorn's cry breaks his stupor, but they are both too far away to help when the monster tumbles into the abyss trailing smoke, flame, and a whip entwined about Mithrandir's legs.

**16. Inefficiently**

They have attempted to cross a mountain pass only to be turned back by the mountain itself, and they have followed a wizard into the depths of darkened mines only to lose that same wizard just before reaching daylight; now Boromir stares at Aragorn as the other insists they brave the deceits of Lothlórien and wonders if the wisdom that formed this company—and its purpose—can truly be trusted.

**17. Helpless**

_Would you take It, Son of the Steward?_ the Lady Galadriel silently asks, her eyes dark and fathomless, and he wrenches his gaze away as he thinks of a hobbit speared too easily by an orc chieftain and a wizard lost too quickly to a yawning abyss —the former saved only by a mithril vest when Boromir's sword failed to pierce the hide-shield and the latter saved by nothing at all because Boromir could not reach him in time.

**18. Nudges**

During their last night in Lothlórien, most of the Fellowship debate over what direction they should take as they move south, but Aragorn is strangely silent and says little, having the mien of Isildur's Heir but not the decisiveness to sustain such bearing; keenly feeling the loss of Mithrandir's leadership, Boromir steers the discussion toward the safer road through Minas Tirith where they might regroup and reconsider.

**19. Refill**

The rest of the Fellowship is gladdened for the supplies offered by the elves, but Boromir feels himself drained by the stay in Lothlórien, its defenses too bright and too certain against Dol Guldur's neighboring darkness; he wonders if Aragorn feels likewise, for the man has seemed hesitant about the future since entering the Golden Wood.

**20. Sinks**

The Brown Lands crawl by, devastated by Sauron's power, and Boromir paddles harder to keep pace with—and gain ground on—Frodo's boat; aware of nothing else, he is jolted from his reverie when Merry risks capsizing their own boat by ramming his paddle hard against dangerous shoals that Boromir utterly failed to see.

**21. Misanthropic**

It is now clear to Boromir that if the rest of the Fellowship spares any though for Minas Tirith, it is not as a city in need but as a way station for their hopeless quest; thus he sets out alone to search for Frodo on Amon Hen's rocky slopes, for if Gondor and her protectors have been left to fend for themselves (again), then Boromir's duty demands he ensure them a fighting chance.

**22. Faceless**

Frodo admits his fear as Boromir takes a seat beside him, and Boromir listens closely, eventually noting that perhaps it is not fear but rather common sense rejecting the hopeless; and suddenly it is not Frodo at his side but Elrond, Mithrandir, Galadriel, and the faces of all others who would toss Gondor aside to shrivel in Mordor's furnace while they undertake a fool's errand—hang them all!—and Boromir vows to protect his people by any means necessary and from any foe, be that foe Sauron or the Wise!

**23. Verity**

Boromir is Denethor's son and has been raised to confront peril, even if that peril is truth, but as Denethor's son, his pride will not yet permit him to tell Aragorn and the Fellowship all of what transpired when he spoke with Frodo.

**24. Hypotension**

Merry is limp, Pippin's struggles mean nothing to the iron grip of the orcs, and Boromir can manage only one step toward them before he collapses, vision fading, sword dropping from a nerveless hand, and the arrows in his chest burrowing deeper with every breath.

**25. Felicity**

Barely able to open his eyes, Boromir confesses his crimes to Aragorn and commends Merry, Pippin, and Minas Tirith to his care; he feels a swell of peace when Aragorn—no longer hesitant or conflicted—assures him that all will endure, and Boromir releases his fading grip on life, knowing if anyone can save the hobbits and Gondor, it will be the King.


	4. Peregrin Took

**Peregrin Took**

**1. Bedsores**

After a few mutters from Frodo on how the Sackville-Bagginses are enjoying nice featherbeds while he is stuck with a tree root in his back, Pippin points out that roots make one turn in one's sleep and that sleeping in a featherbed without turning can lead to bedsores; Pippin decides Frodo is not in a receptive mood when the latter responds by stealing all his blankets.

**2. Emphasis**

After he is swallowed by a willow tree and nearly crushed to death as punishment for Sam's use of fire, Pippin is quite certain nothing can be more surprising; then he meets his rescuer, who seems to think the perfect complement to a blue feathered-hat and a long blue coat are the brightest, yellowest boots Pippin has ever seen.

**3. Slippery**

"These table tops are slippery!" Pippin tries explaining to the startled patrons of the Prancing Pony after Frodo literally disappears before their eyes, but he finds himself scrambling for another explanation when his attempts to demonstrate just how slippery result in his feet sticking to all the spilled ale.

**4. Drip**

Seeing open concern for Frodo on the faces of Merry and Sam—and even Strider—does very little to reassure Pippin about his cousin's health, and it becomes far worse when the weather turns wet, they can find little shelter that does not drip on them, and the occasional lightning strike highlights creases of pain and fear on Frodo's face.

**5. Introductions**

He tries his utmost to learn the names of all around him during the feast in Rivendell and make a good showing as a representative of the Shire—the presence of great lords and ladies keenly reminds Pippin that his father is the Thain—but the elven language is too confounding and the night too filled with stories, drink, and talk for him to remember much of it the next morning.

**6. Penetrating**

The dropped stone in the well results in a _tap tap ping tap_ from Moria's depths that shatters not only the silence but also the Fellowship's fraying patience, and Pippin realizes his hope to prove that small hobbits can do great things also means the opposite: small hobbits can initiate terrible disasters.

**7. Ahead**

At the time, Pippin cannot explain how he is able to traverse Lothlórien's optimistically named "bridge" so calmly and quickly, but looking back later, he realizes the trick lies in a single-minded focus that keeps his eyes off the troubled waters below and on the goal of the banks ahead—a skill that enables him to keep going no matter what mistakes he makes or what disasters befall.

**8. Poorest**

Merry keeps telling Pippin that he'll get used to the constant rocking of the boats, but Pippin's unease has little to do with the Anduin's motions and more to do with Boromir's mutterings, which are too low to be understood but whose dark, anxious tones make a good supporting point for Sam's argument that boats are far and away the worst method of travel.

**9. Without**

The quest has robbed Pippin of food, sleep, rest, and ultimately a wizard, but even when the orcs rob Pippin of his freedom, it all pales in comparison to his other loss—the loss of Boromir—who falls upon blood-stained soil with his left hand clenched around one of the many arrows in his chest and his right hand still reaching for Pippin and Merry.

**10. Discard**

There is no real reason to think Aragorn is trailing the orcs who have taken them captive and no real reason to think throwing away his Lothlórien brooch will assist in any sort of rescue, but when forced to choose between discarding a brooch or discarding hope, Pippin lets the leaf fall.

**11. Impersonator**

Pippin has never met Gollum, but he's heard enough about the creature from Aragorn to venture a deadly gamble and manage a fair—albeit terrified—impression of "precious" when Grishnákh's searching hands play over his skin.

**12. Lengthy**

When the Entmoot stretches into its third day, an anxious Pippin wonders if they should simply take Quickbeam and start for Orthanc on their own, for at this pace, the Moot might not be over before the question of attacking Saruman is rendered… well… moot.

**13. Everybody**

Pippin makes one last attempt to count the ent-strides as Treebeard and the other Ents close upon Isengard, but he gives up when he fails to find even a simple point of reference; it is as though the entire forest is moving with them in a rising swell of leaf and branch, and after further examination, Pippin decides there might be truth to that thought.

**14. Smokeless**

It should be a happy, peaceful moment—and at first, it is—but sitting next to Merry and their Isengard plunder, a pipe and a collection of Longbottom Leaf near at hand, Pippin can't help thinking of Frodo and Sam, how they should all be together enjoying this, and hopes the other two can find similar treasures in whatever ruins haunt their journey.

**15. Hue**

For the most part, Saruman's cloak appears gray, but when he moves, the light catches it strangely and a host of other colors shimmer amid the ash; Pippin can scarcely take his eyes off it until something far more interesting—a crystal globe with an inner fire—is thrown from an upper window and plunges into the waters surrounding Orthanc.

**16. Multilingual**

It is a language devoid of words, but every part of Pippin's mind, heart, and soul understands Sauron's silent voice as he stares into the depths of the fiery globe; the pain and violation of self notwithstanding, the greatest horror is knowing that with but a look, the Dark Lord can stamp his will upon every fiber of Pippin's being, nothing denied and nothing withheld from that terrible gaze.

**17. Serious**

Hobbits in their tweens have a reputation for carefree lives and an acute inability to view anything with the sobriety it deserves, but never again in his life is Pippin as serious as he is when he pledges his service to Denethor, remembering his last sight of Boromir who exhausted his final moments struggling to save him.

**18. Unbidden**

Pippin's duty to Gondor is initially born out of devotion to the departed, but when Faramir arrives in the City, Pippin finds new reason for service; Faramir is as Boromir, tall and mighty and noble, but he is also as Strider, far-seeing with old eyes and capable of inspiring immediate loyalty in a tweenaged hobbit who adds his voice to the throng with no prompting from aught save his own heart: "Faramir! Faramir!"

**19. Reject**

Denethor's last command—"Die in what way seems good to you"—doesn't readily translate into "Find Gandalf and upset my plan of using a premature funeral pyre to escape what I deem to be Sauron's eminent rule," but when Pippin pledged fealty to Gondor, he swore his oath to her steely-eyed protective Steward, not to the exhausted, guilt-ridden father who has lived so long bereft of hope that he can see only despair.

**20. Sliced**

The Rohirrim horns sound wildly over the Pelennor Fields, an incomprehensible boon for the besieged as the Enemy turns away from Minas Tirith; but even as Pippin's rejoicing heart begs to join the battle without, he remembers the battle within and leaps forward before Gandalf can reach the broken gate, telling the other of Denethor's intentions and dividing both himself and the wizard as terribly as the Enemy divided the City-gate.

**21. Casualties**

When Pippin finds Merry seemingly safe and sound in an abandoned lane, it feels like a wonderful ending to a very bad day; Pippin's heart nearly seizes when Merry—_Merry_, of all hobbits—won't stop crying, mumbles something about a burning sword and a numb right arm, and asks in all earnestness if Pippin is taking him away to be buried.

**22. Queuing**

They hurriedly form ranks as orcs pour through the Black Gate, but despite the brightly gleaming swords and lances, Pippin cannot help thinking they are simply lining up to die: first Boromir, then Frodo and Sam, and now Strider and Legolas and Gimli and Gandalf and—well, maybe not Gandalf since he already died once, but Pippin can't see much hope for himself or Beregond and he wonders if Boromir was the lucky one, escaping all this as early as he did.

**23. Dyes**

After Pippin wakes in Ithilien and learns that he is not dead and that they won, he also finds himself sporting several fascinating shades of black and blue; this is nothing compared to Frodo and Sam, however, and leaning heavily on Merry, he vainly wishes he could take on all their hues, too, if only they will open their eyes.

**24. Regimented**

They aren't soldiers of Gondor but they are stubborn Tooks on a mission, and Pippin swells with pride as he leads them forth to join Frodo and the others in driving the Ruffians from the Shire.

**25. Immigrate**

Pippin lives a full life in the Shire, enjoying both the fruits of the larger world and the comforts of home, but in the end, both he and Merry realize they cannot die in the little country that first gave them life; the Shire struggles to return to its simple ways, shrugging off the outside world to which Pippin now partly belongs, and so he and Merry depart, leaving behind only relics and stories that pass swiftly into fading legend.


	5. Aragorn

**Aragorn**

**1. Letter**

Suddenly presented with the first sign of Gandalf in three months, it is only through great effort that Aragorn forbears ripping the wizard's message from Butterbur's fat hands, keeping instead to the shadows and waiting—always waiting—as the innkeeper explains himself to Frodo.

**2. Handkerchief**

Whenever Gandalf relates the story of the quest to destroy Smaug, he always includes Bilbo's initial concern about a forgotten handkerchief; Aragorn used to enjoy that part, but he finds it much less amusing now that he is struggling to lead four hobbits—all of whom actually brought handkerchiefs—safely across the wilds of Eriador.

**3. Moss**

Having seen Black Riders on the Road and having felt their presence all about Weathertop, Aragorn knows they will need a large, hot fire and thanks the Valar for the peat he gathered days ago on the borders of the Midgewater Marshes.

**4. Knife**

The Black Riders' retreat is as sudden as it is unexpected, and for a moment, Aragorn wonders if Gandalf has returned to Weathertop and driven the enemy back; his hope meets a cruel end when he finds Frodo unconscious beside a black blade, a sign the Riders need not press their attack now but can wait until Frodo comes to them.

**5. Decoy**

Glorfindel explains that his lot was to draw the Riders to the Road, knowing Frodo was likely somewhere in the Wilds; now that they travel the Road together, Aragorn curses the bells on Asfaloth's tack that surely continue to attract the Riders' attention.

**6. Well**

It is not only Frodo who needs healing in Imladris but also Sam, Merry, Pippin, and—if Elrond's assessing gaze is any measure—Aragorn himself, though he doubts he will be able to tarry long enough in the elven lands to truly be well again.

**7. Potato**

The afternoon following the Council, Aragorn goes in search of Arwen and finds her in the gardens listening to Samwise as he extols the virtues of taters and why the elves should cultivate more of them; she sees Aragorn and smiles but says nothing, instead continuing her walk with Sam while asking about the hardiness of various types in different soils, and Aragorn thinks he has never loved her more.

**8. Bush**

"Have a care around this particular breed of mugwort," Aragorn warns the hobbits in Hollin when they gather kindling for a fire, "and mind we do not burn it, for its smoke will send visions dancing through our minds well into tomorrow and possibly the next day!"

**9. Skin**

Pippin's face is icy to the touch and Merry's hands are blue as Aragorn struggles to shield them from the worst of the blizzard, knowing that he was—and still is—right about the perils of Moria but also swallowing the bitter knowledge that Gandalf was right about the perils of Caradhras.

**10. Drum**

In the far lands of Khand, Aragorn once observed a group of men drive predatory cats into a trap with naught more than an onslaught of drums; he cannot help thinking of that now as they race through the dwarven mines, the pounding drumbeats echoing through the halls behind them.

**11. Straw**

He feels it coming before they ever enter Moria, senses its approach in the creature Legolas names a Balrog, and knows its certainty even as he and Boromir leap onto the crumbling Bridge, but for all his preparation and foresight, Gandalf's death shatters something deep within Aragorn that he cannot seem to right afterwards.

**12. Service**

With Gandalf gone, Aragorn feels it his obligation to guide Frodo into Mordor, yet his heart insists he fulfill his responsibility to Gondor; never before has he found himself so in doubt of his duty, and even Lothlórien's timeless grace brings little peace to his troubled mind.

**13. Error**

The longer they remain on the Anduin and delay turning East, the greater grows the danger from both without and within the company, but Aragorn is loath to sunder the Fellowship, though the rift has been growing since Gandalf's fall.

**14. Stain**

When both Legolas and Gimli are too anxious to press the issue of why Frodo fled eastward with only Sam, Aragorn vows to safeguard Boromir's final words as long as he is able, for in the end, Boromir was indeed the Steward's son, the Captain of Gondor, and the defender of all Free Peoples.

**15. Tale**

The captive hobbits are far ahead, they have no time for explanations, and there are no means to determine if the Rohirrim are as trustworthy as Aragorn remembers them to be; but Éomer is in need of answers, and seeing an echo of his own indecision and frustration, Aragorn stands forth, declaring his lineage and as much of their story as he can reveal.

**16. Cheer**

For long moments after Legolas recognizes Gandalf, Aragorn can do naught but stare in elated wonder as the disasters of the past two months unravel before his eyes; hope returns, clothed now in white and armed with a purpose and an assurance that Aragorn has been lacking since they escaped Moria.

**17. Educate**

The _palantír_ sits quiet and motionless as Aragorn considers his next actions, but his hesitation is brief and he leans forward to demand a response from the Seeing Stone; too long has Sauron ruled unchallenged in Barad-dûr, and it is time to show the Dark Lord that the heir of Isildur lives, fights, and has strength enough to reclaim his own.

**18. Horse**

Éowyn is as her people and as their mounts: wild, free, and spirited enough to follow the call of her heart; but that which she sees in Aragorn is something he can never return, and he leaves her at Dunharrow, saddled with the knowledge that she will not long endure her hobbles.

**19. Seal**

The Dead come, drawn by the summons of Isildur's Heir, and at the Stone of Erech with one elf, one dwarf, and the Grey Company as his witnesses, Aragorn binds the departed to his commands, sealing his part in a terrible gamble that this force will be enough to liberate Pelargir.

**20. Breeze**

There is no sunrise beneath Mordor's billowing darkness as the commandeered corsair fleet labors up the Anduin, but the arrival of the southern wind Legolas sensed earlier is more welcome than any blood-red dawn.

**21. Law**

Amidst the ruin of the Pelennor Fields, Aragorn kneels with bowed head and reverently closes his kinsman's eyes; Halbarad has received the Gift of Man, and even a returning King must give way before the decrees of Ilúvatar.

**22. Gloves**

Were he still alive, Denethor would have doubtless expected him to take advantage of the current situation, but Aragorn enters Minas Tirith cloaked as a Ranger, having no desire to embroil himself in political turmoil; yet in the Houses of Healing, the skill of his hands cannot be hidden, and rumors fly quickly as old tales and verse craft their own tidings of Isildur's Heir.

**23. Arithmetic**

It is long since he practiced his maths under Erestor's guidance, but Aragorn was an exceptional student and the numbers come with overwhelming despair as he works out the size of the host he led forth from Minas Tirith, the numbers they left at the Cross Roads, the departure of the men who were too fearful to continue, and the swell of Sauron's orcs pouring forth from the Morannon to surround the fly—as Imrahil named them—that seeks to sting the land of Mordor.

**24. Ankle**

It seems no hobbit who set forth on this journey escapes unscathed, and after seeing to Sam and Frodo—injured so terribly and so deeply that Aragorn is already spent—he turns his attention to Pippin's crushing injuries, among which he finds a ring of dwarven fingermarks where Gimli pulled him out of the carnage by the ankle.

**25. Smile**

The day Aragorn weds Arwen Undómiel, Elrond's eyes already mourn the daughter he will leave behind, but he has a proud smile as wide as the Anduin for the son he raised to be King.

* * *

_Author's Notes: The potato was originally a South American plant and was only introduced to the rest of the world by explorers from Europe. How it showed up in Tolkien's world is beyond me, but it's definitely in _The Two Towers_. Sam indicates that potatoes would be out of season at the time he asks Gollum to go looking for herbs, but his familiarity with potatoes cements them as a tuberous staple grown somewhere in or around the Shire. Who knows? Maybe they were a delicacy in Númenor that Elendil liked enough to pack along on his ships._


	6. Frodo Baggins

**Frodo Baggins**

**1. Kin**

Frodo considers the missing wizard, the Ring in his pocket, the Riders already searching the Shire, and the Conspiracy gathered in the little house at Crickhollow—determined, brave, and loyal to a fault; he is surely the most fortunate hobbit in the world.

**2. North**

Thanks to Bilbo and Tom Bombadil, Frodo knows something about the northern war against Angmar and a little more than something about the Barrow-downs; but when its haunted echo springs to life only hours after his farewell to Goldberry, Frodo wonders how much he truly knows of these strange lands, their histories, and just what he's dragged his friends into.

**3. Clumsy**

"Sheer accident" is how Frodo explains the incident with the Ring in the Common Room of the Prancing Pony, and he holds fast to that story despite Strider's doubts; the only other explanation involves a Ring that is no longer a passive object but an active agent seeking Its own preservation and Its enemies' destruction.

**4. Strewn**

When morning comes to Bree and they find their bedroom littered with overturned mattresses and slashed bolsters, Frodo cannot speak for a moment; the inhabitants of Bree are simple folk and to see what fear is capable of rousing in such people greatly alarms, for he senses this fear will follow him into the Wilds.

**5. Authority**

In the lonely dell beside Weathertop, Frodo receives a taste of the Enemy's true power as the dark figures overwhelm his fear, his hesitation, his common sense, and even his ability to turn his head and look at Sam; the command to put on the Ring is the only thought that finds purchase in his mind and with no choice save to obey, he slips the One onto his finger.

**6. Pivot**

The only clear sight for Frodo's dimming eyes are the Riders atop their steeds compelling him to wait, and as at Weathertop, Frodo cannot disobey; he reins Asfaloth to a halt but draws his sword, not yet completely the Riders' thrall, and so defies them until Glorfindel's curt elven words send Asfaloth galloping into the Bruinen.

**7. Nurturing**

Sometimes Frodo wonders if he shouldn't make more of his time in Rivendell by exploring with Merry and Pippin or studying maps with Aragorn and Gandalf; then he looks at Bilbo reading snippets of verse to Sam and decides he has found the best Rivendell has to offer.

**8. Rime**

During the Fellowship's initial journey south, there is a moment—albeit a brief one—in which Frodo discovers frost on the hair of his feet and seriously contemplates the virtues of boots.

**9. Squint**

Frodo springs to his feet in the cavernous halls of Moria, certain he fell asleep and dreamed of eyes in the darkness, and he remains standing and staring until Legolas takes his place as guard; he retires to his blankets determined to believe it was all a dream, but it is difficult to relax when Legolas's attention snaps to the same place Frodo saw—or thought he saw—two pale lights watching him from the safety of the shadows.

**12. Rough**

White meets red, flame descends into darkness beyond mortal senses, and parting words echo through the caverns: "Fly, you fools!"; the Fellowship runs as hope falls behind them, weeping, stumbling, hewing down the last orcs to stand between them and the light of day, and Frodo collapses when they stop in the Dimrill Dale, feeling the sun on his face and thinking it paler than the staff Gandalf held aloft to guide them through Moria.

**11. Ladder**

Frodo can't say much for the glimmering rope ladder the elves lower from the _talan_ on the borders of Lothlórien and is frankly amazed when Sam makes the climb behind him and even more amazed when Merry and Pippin manage to bring up all their blankets later.

**12. Reassure**

Galadriel's explanation of Nenya and its empowerment of Lothlórien causes Frodo to understand how both success and failure in his Quest will doom the elves and their golden lands; Galadriel accuses him of returning test for test when he offers her the Ring, but in truth, Frodo needs to know if those who will lose the most are willing to trust him with the sacrifice of all they hold dear.

**13. Munches**

Having spent his early years around the Brandywine, Frodo has no trouble eating while they float down the Anduin, but Sam turns a sickly green at the very thought of food and diagnoses himself as seasick; this results in a strange look from Legolas and a hasty explanation from Aragorn that "seasick" carries a vastly different meaning among the elves.

**14. Scramble**

When Boromir falls to the Ring, Frodo perceives he is but the first stone in an avalanche, and turning East is suddenly no longer a matter of taking the Ring to Mordor but rather of taking the Ring as far from the Fellowship as possible.

**15. Paw**

Gollum grovels before him, pitiful and wretched, pawing at Frodo's knees in desperation for even a glimpse of the Ring, and feeling a swell of sudden power over this creature, Frodo binds him to his oath and finds he must struggle to keep from doing more.

**16. Immerses**

Sam and Gollum are somewhere ahead speaking in hushed whispers, but Frodo's only thoughts are for the faces in the Dead Marshes; almost he is one of them, and his hands sink into the slime that coats the water's surface, drawn to the flickering lights of elves, men, and orcs trapped by Sauron's terrible power and doomed to linger just beyond reach of the living.

**17. Slam**

Frodo stares at the towers filled with black windows, stares at the single gate in the wall that stretches across the only pass into Mordor, and stares at the pacing sentinels above the gate, knowing he will never avoid being seen; he steps forward, fey in his resolve, until Gollum paws at his knees and whispers of a different path into the darkness.

**18. Measure**

Faramir's demeanor and mannerisms are so like his brother's that Frodo is amazed he did not see the likeness at first; only later does he realize his last moments with Boromir cloud his memories until he recalls not the noble Captain who followed a dream into uncharted wilds but rather the Captain's desperate, Ring-twisted echo.

**19. Mumbles**

Despite what Sam thinks, Frodo is not ignorant of Sméagol's darker whispers and sidelong looks, but he dares not respond, fearful that some of his responses will come from the same world of half-heard mutters and mumbles.

**20. Palsy**

A great hulking mass is upon Frodo so quickly he has only a brief impression of many limbs and many eyes before something sharp thrusts its way deep into his shoulder; he falls, paralyzed, wrapped in a nightmare of legs and webs, and wonders if it should concern him that the Ring is his last waking thought.

**21. Antagonist**

Trapped in a tower filled with foul smells and fouler orcs, addled by spider venom and a loss too great to contemplate, Frodo's most horrifying moment comes when Samwise Gamgee stands before him holding the Ring, for in that moment, one of them becomes an enemy and Frodo cannot discern which one of them it is.

**22. Lean**

Sam keeps pressing _lembas_ upon Frodo as they stagger across Mordor's cracked and barren plains, saving little for himself, and Frodo cannot quite work up the words to tell Sam that his only appetite is for the Ring.

**23. Possessiveness**

When Frodo places the Ring on his finger and claims it as his own, he is instantly aware of the swelling hosts at the Morannon, the winged Nazgûl racing for the heart of Mordor, and the terrible power thrumming through all the Dark Land as Sauron pins him beneath the fiery gaze of the Eye; Frodo is nothing before the might of all who now oppose him, will fall in terrible agony, and on some level understands this, but he does not care so long as he is able to claim the Ring as his own.

**24. Ubiquitous**

Frodo feels Saruman's shadow throughout Bag End, but though he and Sam scrub every inch of his home until he can scarcely feel his hands, he cannot wash away the sense of lingering darkness; only later does he realize the taint is not in the hobbit hole but rather in the hobbit he has become.

**25. Sailings**

Merry, Pippin, and Sam managed to safeguard their memories of the Shire and thus find a home when they return, but Frodo sacrificed everything of himself to the Ring and cannot so easily reclaim what was lost; the Shire is safe, but Frodo has become as the elves—a fading steward that must pass his land to those who still have something to offer it.


	7. Legolas

**Legolas**

**1. Send**

After creative interpretation, Legolas rationalizes that being a messenger for Thranduil requires he not only tell Elrond and the Council of Sméagol's escape but also tell—and show—the growing might of Mordor that Greenwood's elves are willing to face their foes outside the boundaries of their realm.

**2. Contradictory**

Legolas will never understand why wizards, Rangers, dwarves, and hobbits, all of whom seem to relish the purifying air of Imladris, find it necessary to suffocate themselves with pipe-weed smoke.

**3. Boss**

Before the Fellowship ever sets forth, there are signs of Mithrandir, Aragorn, and Boromir all vying for command, and Legolas realizes he and the dwarf will not have the only strained relationship on this journey.

**4. Boiling**

The first time the Fellowship is allowed a small fire, Merry and Pippin task Legolas with watching water heat over the coals until it boils, claiming his immortal patience means nothing if he cannot pass this bizarre test of endurance.

**5. Flight**

Moving lightly atop the snow of Caradhras, Legolas wonders if this is how birds feel as they soar above the clouds and observe the toil of those below; he decides they are wise to keep their comments to themselves when he dodges several snowballs thrown by irate men struggling in the drifts.

**6. Trouble**

"What you hear are the sounds of a distant Warg pack calling to its scouting members," Legolas says grimly the evening after Caradhras, "but what you do _not_ hear are any answering calls, meaning the scouts are too close to risk howls of their own."

**7. Competence**

After Samwise Gamgee is the first—and initially only—Fellowship member to attack the water creature that seizes Frodo, Legolas swiftly revises his opinion of hobbits.

**8. Lesser**

When the lonely dark of Moria makes Legolas stare twice at every shadow, he is humiliated to observe the demeanor of the dwarf: steadfast, resolved, and utterly unaffected by the walls pressing in from all sides.

**9. Vain**

Though a gaping chasm now stands between them and pursuit, Legolas has eyes only for the creature of darkened flame whose writhing shadows fill the immensity of the ancient dwarven chambers; his nocked arrow clatters to the stone floor, for he knows the vanity of any defense against the Elven Bane stepping forth from the nightmares of younger days.

**10. Display  
**

Galadriel's deep gaze pierces his heart, seizing upon his growing temptation when he cannot hide his doubts and fears, but Legolas is his father's son and he coolly meets her eyes as his mind challenges back: "What of your own temptation, my lady, now that the Balrog on your border has overcome even an Istar?"

**11. Help**

Legolas thinks himself alone when he finally allows tears to fall in memory of Mithrandir and so does not expect the sudden and silent company of a dwarf, whose eyes are no longer unfathomable stone but filled with the terrible weight of not only Mithrandir's loss but the loss of kin, heritage, and home.

**12. Technique**

There is form and grace to the elven boats, and it takes a certain skill to guide them down the Anduin; Legolas finds no small amusement in the fact that his is the only boat to avoid crashing into something by the end of their first day away from Lothlórien.

**13. Diagnosis**

Legolas is no expert on the wiles and whims of men, but he cannot help seeing echoes of his own dark temptation in Boromir, whose eyes stray to Frodo far more often than they should.

**14. Man**

Watching Aragorn bow himself over Boromir's broken form, Legolas is both astonished and grieved at the courage needed to court the shadows of mortal death, having no assurances of the fate of those loosed from the circles of the world and bereft of the comfort that no parting is ever final.

**15. Defeat**

As he feels the orcs and the captive hobbits pull further away, Legolas bitterly realizes the failure of their hunt will come not from any machination on the part of Sauron or Saruman but from sheer exhaustion on the part of a man and a dwarf who simply cannot run another day without rest.

**16. Meaning**

Even as he rouses the others from sleep, Legolas knows Aragorn and Gimli are too young to understand the difficult omen of a red dawn, for they have never seen a sunrise accompanied by a dragon's flames engulfing an entire village—men, women, and children, all lost.

**17. Suffix**

If the Rohirrim know and fear tales of Lothlórien, it is possible they have heard somewhat concerning Thranduil; thus the title Thranduilion cannot be mentioned among the suspicious Riders, even though they might not grasp its full significance.

**18. Stick**

Gimli views the fallen branches only as fuel for the fire, but Legolas senses the latent wrath growing and spreading throughout Fangorn and knows that if they venture to remove even a single leaf from any of the trees, it will quite possibly be the last thing they ever do.

**19. Killing**

After the battle of Helm's Deep is over and the contest finally ceded to Gimli, Legolas pauses to wonder just when he began to think of ending another's life as a sporting game rather than a grim necessity.

**20. Doubt**

Gimli makes the only vocal protests when Aragorn explains how he wrested the _palantír_ from Sauron's control, but Legolas is careful to keep the Ranger in his sights for the next three days until he is certain the man's mind remains his own.

**21. Paranoid**

Though the dead stir no fear in elven hearts, something about the way Gimli keeps looking over his shoulder makes Legolas keep a closer watch on the hosts of the departed.

**22. Grounded**

Even amid the walls of Minas Tirith, the gulls bid him abandon all ties and soar; only a steadying dwarven presence at his side draws him back.

**23. Police**

He feels the other's eyes on him long before the soldier-turned-thief makes his move; Legolas is impressed with the brazen audacity needed to steal from an elf—on the way to the Black Gate, no less!—but not so impressed that he feels any remorse in twisting his belt pouch out of reach, seizing the Gondorian's arm in a steel grip, and bearing the man to the ground in a hold that is painful, immobilizing, and a stern warning to all.

**24. Orbital**

Legolas makes no less than ten turns around the newly planted sapling, studying every detail keen eyes can glean in the way its roots dig into the earth and its limbs reach for the sun: "Both of you will do well here, Aragorn," he finally says as he completes his last circle, "and the White Tree will flourish and blossom in harmony with your reign."

**25. Postulate**

When Legolas returns to Mirkwood—or rather, Greenwood—after the War, it is not the sea-longing that draws him back to Gondor but rather the swiftly-moving lives of his mortal friends; he has known them only a short time, but they have changed him in ways that all his long, immortal years never have and never will again.


	8. Samwise Gamgee

**Samwise Gamgee**

**1. Punishment**

Before they leave Crickhollow, Sam makes certain the heaviest pots and pans are stowed in his own pack despite protests—albeit reluctant ones from Pippin; San still feels guilty over the part he played in spying on Frodo and views this penance as the least he can do to make amends.

**2. Hardware**

Tom Bombadil says the blades they take from the Barrows were only knives for the men who fought the Dark Lord, but to Sam's eyes, they are a grim warning about the path he now walks and a constant reminder of what he has left behind.

**3. Courier**

The fact that Gandalf chose Barliman Butterbur of all people to deliver—or _fail_ to deliver—an important letter makes Sam think twice about the fact that Gandalf's letter now recommends they trust this Strider.

**4. Berry**

"You're welcome to your own opinion, Mr. Pippin, but if my years as a gardener have taught me anything, it's to think twice before picking just any fruit off a bush for eating—especially that particular fruit."

**5. Mosquito**

It is in the Midgewater Marshes amid Pippin's loud grumbles, Merry's quiet curses, Frodo's weary sighs, and the constant clamor of Neekerbreekers that Sam vows to never again complain about mosquitoes.

**6. Pretending**

After the attack on Weathertop, Frodo falls into a morning ritual of brave smiles and assurances that he feels ready for the day's journey; Sam doesn't know what worries him more: the fact that Frodo is lying or the fact that the rest of them are doing their very best to believe that lie.

**7. Ridge**

It takes several weeks for Sam to notice, lost as he is in the peace of Elrond's home, but eventually, he begins to see the cost of that peace in the elven scouts atop the cliffs high above the valley, never once easing their sleepless vigil against an enemy lurking somewhere beyond the borders.

**8. Holiday**

By the time the Fellowship leaves Rivendell, Samwise is accustomed to the elven flair for great feasts and grand finery; he is also accustomed to the growing certainty that he much prefers a simple meal and familiar surroundings and that he will find neither for some time to come.

**9. Goal**

He might grumble about Gimli's names for the mountains, but Sam refuses to let the vast distances and reckoning bother him; after all, his own quest isn't to reach Mount Doom—it's to do whatever needs doing for Mr. Frodo.

**10. Lift**

"I know you would prefer Bill, Master Gamgee," Boromir says as he hoists Sam high onto his broad back, "but I will have to serve as your pack animal today if we wish to descend this accursed mountain before another snowfall!"

**11. Balance**

Having carried his pots and pans for so long, Sam finds that shedding them in order to jump the gaps and crevices of Moria actually makes it more difficult, not less.

**12. Myth**

In the desperate flight from Moria, now eight where once they were nine, Sam's heart sinks with the thought that if the heroes of legend can come to life around him, so can the villains; indeed, he almost wishes the heroes he now knows—the elves and dwarves and wizards and kings—would turn back into legend if it means never having to lose one of the heroes to one of the villains.

**13. Critic**

Legolas never does translate the songs that fill Lothlórien as the elves mourn Gandalf, but when questioned, he informs Sam that no one has mentioned the wizard's fireworks; Sam can't help feeling the elves have missed something important.

**14. Weather**

Cramped and miserable in his boat, a distant rumble of thunder causes Sam to shiver at the thought of water both beneath and above the Fellowship; Strider murmurs that the storm is far to the east, but a glance at Boromir's boat—hovering close enough to see worried expressions from both Merry and Pippin—makes Sam think a different kind of storm is brewing within the Fellowship itself.

**15. Butterfly**

Like a moth to the flame, Frodo stumbles through the marshes after the lights of the dead, and Sam struggles to draw him back, seeing Frodo as he has never seen him before—waif thin and too exhausted resisting the call of the Ring to also resist the calls of the Dead.

**16. Basin**

They cower in the depths of their shallow hollow no more than a furlong from the Black Gate, and Sam feels a brief pang of sympathy for Gollum as he wonders how the other learned Sauron has but four fingers on one hand.

**17. Kite**

In a strange moment of insight prompted by too little food and too little sleep, Sam decides Gollum is like the kites he used to fly over Bag End as a child: Gollum is tied the Ring, but though tethered, he can bob and weave at will and—should the wind blow strong enough—pull them along into whatever approaching storm he desires.

**18. Comedy**

Sam doesn't understand what is so humorous about his fighting stance when he faces down Captain Faramir; he also doesn't understand why Frodo later compares it to the time Sam caught Fatty Lumpkin in the orchard attempting to make "sauce," but if it serves to give his master a chuckle, it's a mystery he can live with.

**19. Arch**

The spider's great bulk poises above him, a bulging and sickly dome dripping of venom and webbing; thinking of the arc of every stone bridge over every babbling brook back in Hobbiton, Sam knows exactly where to strike.

**20. Sheet**

When Sam's mother died in her sleep, the Gaffer drew a sheet over her head and then disappeared for several days, leaving Sam to watch over the body; he can't help but think of that now as he cuts through the thick, gray webbing wrapped around Frodo's body and searches vainly for either breath or the faint flutter of a still-beating heart.

**21. Courage**

Hobbits teach that courage is the ability to step forward and shoulder a heavy burden at need, but in the Tower of Cirith Ungol, Sam learns it takes even greater courage to release that burden to another, especially after feeling the true weight of the load; thus, returning the One Ring to Frodo is the bravest and most difficult thing Sam ever does in his life.

**22. Stampede**

The clomp of iron-shod boots rings loud in his ears as Sam desperately clutches at a staggering Frodo and holds him upright amidst the thundering column of orcs, following the only option given them—run.

**23. Anchor**

The clatter and clash of his pans disappearing down a Mordor ravine causes Sam to flinch, not so much for the noise but for the loss of the familiar weight that so firmly tethered him to home, happier times, and the hope of seeing both once more.

**24. Hail**

It is all well and good for Gondor to sing of Nine-Fingered Frodo and the Ring of Doom, but Sam is quick to escape in true hobbit fashion when the people start singing his own praises.

**25. Toy**

The night he returns from the Havens, Sam tucks Elanor into bed with a new toy: a small wooden oliphaunt carved by Frodo as a parting gift; someday, Sam will take Elanor to see real oliphaunts, for his role is still to do what needs doing for Frodo and that means making sure Elanor and the world don't forget what Frodo sacrificed for them.


	9. Gimli

**Gimli**

**1. Rose**

"While traveling to the Blue Mountains, I once passed through the Shire and met this Cotton family you speak of in the markets; they have a fair daughter," Gimli tells Sam over supper one evening, his eyes twinkling as the hobbit's face flushes red.

**2. Resting**

Gimli startles out of a dangerous doze when Boromir lifts Frodo free of the deepening snow, and after Gandalf consents to fire, Gimli immediately reaches for his flint; but his stiff, shaking hands fail to strike any flame that holds, and watching a languid Pippin slump against Merry, he wonders how long he can stave off his own deadly desire to sleep.

**3. Insult**

Gimli's heart burns as he stands fierce and defiant beside Gandalf, listening with growing rage as the Fellowship debates traveling through Khazad-dûm—_Moria_, the Black Pit, they name it—and seeming to take no thought for the once glorious birthright they spurn with callous words.

**4. Bath**

Even as his keen eyes and quick mind track the weave of tunnels around him, Khazad-dûm's close quarters remind Gimli that no one in the Fellowship has bathed for several days.

**5. Ransom**

In the depths of darkened halls, kneeling before Balin's fissured tomb, Gimli pales with the thought that the dwarves might have given up Bilbo and the whole of the Shire to Mordor as ransom for a legacy—a Black Pit—that now betrays and disowns them.

**6. Fault**

Staring in horror as Gandalf and the shards of Durin's Bridge plunge into the chasm, Gimli cannot help but remember his own eagerness to venture into the ruined mines and the role the dwarves played in waking the creature that falls entangled with the wizard.

**7. Throne**

When Gimli invites Frodo along to view the still waters of Kheled-zâram, he does so for several reasons: he desires to find something yet unspoiled from his ravaged heritage, he desires to see the stars of Durin's crown glittering from the water's depths, and he desires to end the persistent whispers in the back of his mind that suggest the sunken crown belongs not to Durin or even Dáin Ironfoot but to Gimli Glóin's son—who could take back Khazad-dûm and restore the dwarves to their rightful kingdom _now_.

**8. Wood**

For perhaps the first time in his life, Gimli counsels venturing even further into Lothlórien's sheltering trees, keenly aware that Khazad-dûm is less than a day's march behind and that the mines will not contain their teeming orcs past nightfall.

**9. Honey**

Gimli's memory of the Beornings' honey-cakes pales in comparison to the taste of _lembas_ wafers, for _lembas _not only pleases the senses but also nourishes mind, body, and spirit; he cannot help comparing it to Legolas, who for all his elven nonsense has begun to reveal an inner core as stalwart and steadfast as any dwarven foundation.

**10. Manners**

Reduced to a stammering simpleton before Galadriel's grace, Gimli makes the boldest request of his life—a single hair of her golden head; she rewards him thrice over, but greater reward cannot be found beyond her first words to him of dark Kheled-zâram, icy Kibil-nâla, and many-pillared Khazad-dûm.

**11. Moon**

Gimli notes the new moon—and the startling realization that they spent nigh unto a month in Lothlórien—before Sam does, but he cannot bear to speak of it; it is a bitter reminder that elven wonders belong to a time and a place no longer in harmony with the march of mortal days.

**12. Belt**

Despite Aragorn's admonishment to leave behind all that can be spared, Gimli takes a moment to search the baggage and find the silver belts Galadriel gave to Merry and Pippin; he hopes to return these belts, and by clinging to this hope, he seeks to somehow thwart the despair that comes with the thought of three lone hunters both overtaking and overcoming an army of orcs.

**13. Bridle**

There is wild freedom in the way Legolas leaps astride Arod, now bereft of saddle and rein; Gimli feels none of it as he is lifted up behind the elf, and he clings to Legolas without care for the spectacle he doubtless makes in front of Éomer and his men.

**14. Rash**

The musty forest presses close, and the steady approach of an old man in gray rags—an old man with a growing feel of terrible power—causes Gimli to ask the unthinkable and beg Legolas to loose his arrows unannounced, unchallenged, and unawares.

**15. Snake**

Though he stands as a representative of the dwarves, Gimli vows that Gríma Wormtongue will suffer an untimely demise for his brash words against Lothlórien, and only Gandalf's restraining hand prevents Gimli from making good on that promise before the very throne of Edoras.

**16. Escape**

After Gimli aids Gamling in damming the culvert against orcs, he watches the blocked Deeping Spring spread slowly from cliff to cliff and struggles against the thought that all in Helm's Deep now find themselves similarly trapped.

**17. Scandal**

It will cause no end of uproar back at the Lonely Mountain, but gazing around the Glittering Caves through pain-clouded vision, the battle above ringing loud in his ears, Gimli feels himself sink deep into the cavern rock as though it were home.

**18. Winner**

While he might never admit it to Legolas, seeing the elf alive again after the Battle of Helm's Deep is a far better victory than winning their grisly game of orc-killing.

**19. Cripple**

Gimli openly scoffs at the molasses-coated voice issuing down from Orthanc but then watches in disbelief as the surrounding Rohirrim nod agreement to Saruman's twisted lies of peace and friendship.

**20. Coming**

Shadowy forms flicker about them as Legolas describes the dreadful shapes his eyes discern in the rolling mists of the Dead; brave dwarf though he is, Gimli is desperately grateful that Elladan, not Legolas, elected to ride as the company's rearguard this day.

**21. Tragedy**

He flees from orcs in his ancestral home, weeps at the last sight of Lothlórien, and grieves Boromir's fall as though the man were a kindred dwarf, yet nothing afflicts Gimli so deeply as finding Legolas stricken on the southern battlefield, impaled not by arrow or by spear but by the cry of a gull.

**22. Fleet**

Aragorn's commandeered armada labors upstream into the night without help from wind or current, and all the while they are forced to watch the red glow beneath the clouds where Minas Tirith burns; hope fades until it is little more than an ember, and almost Gimli believes it would be swifter to abandon the boats and run.

**23. Varnish**

The builders of Minas Tirith clearly possessed scope, vision, and skill, but to Gimli's eyes, those who now care for the City see not the true roots of deeper stone but only the fits and flourishes of surface rock, similar to the way they see—or stare at—the elf and dwarf walking in their midst.

**24. Crisis**

Searching the carnage around the Black Gate, Gimli's breath stops short at the sight of a hobbit foot protruding from beneath the carcass of a massive hill-troll; his breath begins again in frantic gasps when he heaves his weight against the creature and realizes he might not be able to move it.

**25. Family**

Gimli is nothing if not a dutiful son, yet after the War, he cannot remain in the Lonely Mountain; a dwarf is nothing without his kin, but Gimli's kin has grown to include beardless brothers of all shapes and sizes.

* * *

_Author's Note: I thought I should put in a quick explanation for the silver belts. It might be argued that Merry and Pippin wore the silver belts Galadriel gave them, but I find that a little unlikely. Hobbit sensibilities would probably speak out against wearing something so valuable in the middle of the wilderness, plus it would be too reflective and might attract attention. I think Shirebound actually makes that argument in the story "Belts of Silver, Leaves of Gold."_

_Anyway, in my mind, the belts were not on their persons but rather in their packs, which were sitting safe and sound back at camp during the attack. And Gimli, being attune to all things Lothlórien, would be the most likely candidate to retrieve the belts and take them along. For what it's worth, that's my reasoning in the twelfth prompt.  
_

_And to all who read (and especially to all who reviewed) many thanks! I hope you enjoyed!  
_


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